The Frog Prince
by Rune Roster
Summary: Something fishy is going on with the teachers at Hogwarts...
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and related items are the sole property of JK Rowling and Scholastics Publishing Company. I have no intention gaining profit or making money otherwise on the creation of the following story.

"Bloody hell, Ron, hurry up! We're late for McGonagall's class again, she's gonna skin us alive!" stammered Harry Potter, throwing his tie around his neck and running out of the Gryffindor common room.

"Cripes, Harry. I can move but only so fast, I did gain a few pounds over summer holidays; unlike someone who went on worldwide adventures with an Azakban fugitive and developed quite the six pack. I'm sure you could run around the grounds a good five times without breaking a sweat!" complained Ron Weasley, trying to keep up with the Boy Who Lived.

"Well, term has only been in session a month and we've been late to Tranfiguration three times already. I'm sure well get detention or points taken away this time." When Ron and Harry reached the classroom, Professor McGonagall was waiting at the door arms crossed and a stare on her face that would turn Dumbledore to stone.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley. So wonderful for you to join us on this glorious morning! Please come sit down and we will continue our lessons," and she led Harry and Ron to their seats and walked up to the front of the class picking up a stone off the floor. "Today we will transform this peeble into a frog. Repeat after me while rolling your wrist: 'Gogaelus Regaleum'."

"Gogaelus Regaleum! Gogaelus Regaleum"

"No, no Longbottom. Enunciate, GO-gaul-us Reg-AL-e-um."

"Good wrist movements Finnigan!"

"Okay class stop. Someone finally got it. Miss Granger, turn it back and demonstrate to the class the correct form again." Moans of disgust were muttered as Hermione retransfigured the stone and slowly turned it back into a frog.

"Very well done! Now class trying it again." This time most of the class formed a frog and returned it to it's original form, "Now class I have a special surprise for you. I am going to transfigure something that hasn't been done in this class before…one of you." Everything went silent. Hermione slowly raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Ma'am, is that legal? If I remember correctly. Transfiguration of students is strictly prohib--"

"YOU QUESTION ME, GRANGER? FIVE POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! ANYMORE FOOLHARDY REMARKS?" snapped Professor McGonagall. Draco Malfoy let out a snicker and McGonagall swung around toward him. "Did you say something Mr. Malfoy?

"No, no Professor. Just clearing my throat, I apologize." swooned Malfoy with a wide grin on his face.

"Well wipe that silly grin off your face, then boy. Now let us continue," said the professor looking around at the petrified fifth years. "Who shall be the lucky one, hmmm? Longbottom? No, he gets into enough trouble as it is. Miss Granger? I should for that snide remark you bolstered out. But no, I have someone better in mind." 


	2. Frog Prince Chapter 2

Professor McGonagall paced around the room glaring at all the students' petrified faces. There was a long silence before her booming voice scared half the class with, "this student, though a prime and most improved student since arriving here four years, has seemed to slacking off and has been late to several of his classes including mine on many occasions." She continued to pace very slowly, Ron and Harry looked at each other timorously; it had to be one of them.

The class was silent for what seemed like hours, until finally McGonagall swept to her desk and sat down with a sharp grin plastered across her face.

"Mr. Potter, please step up here." The class gasped, Malfoy snickered.

"Professor! You can't!" Hermione stood up, holding Harry back, "we don't know what will happen, once he's transfigured!" Professor McGonagall slipped her spectacles off her face and held the bridge of her nose very frustrated looking. She slowly looked up at Hermione and stood up with wand in hand. Hermione felt a wave of anxiety wash over her and felt for her wand just in case McGonagall has gone insane.

"Miss Granger, I think I have been more than patient with your outbursts and disrespect for me. I am the Professor of this class and that means that what I say goes and no little Miss-Know-It-All can change that!" And the professor raised her wand…

"Professor McGonagall?" Professor Severus Snape stood in the doorway of the chamber, greasy hair blocking half of his face, his arms crossed, "we are needed for an urgent staff meeting in Professor Dumbledore's office." He flashed a glance at Harry and his lip curled.

"Class, we will continue this lesson tomorrow. Please enjoy your lunch. Show me where Snape."

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked swiftly to lunch before bursting with the events that just occurred.

"What in bloody hell happened back there?" asked Ron. Grabbing a turkey leg over Hermione who replied, "I don't know. But McGonagall was not in her right mind. Something is going on…something weird." They both turned to Harry was steadily shoveling food in his mouth, not saying anything.

"Well?" sassed Hermione. Harry looked up at her, "well what?"

"What is your opinion on this matter?"

"I don't wanna talk about it.

"You don't wanna talk about! Cripes Harry, you were almost turned into a frog and you don't want to talk about it? Are you mad?"

"I do not want to talk about!" And he got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving Ron and Hermione opened mouth, in his wake.


	3. Frog Prince chapter 3

"Ron, go after him!" Hermione urged him. But Ron was still looking at Harry's wake.

"What just happened?" Ron asked, "did we say something wrong?" Hermione was getting red and was going to rip into Ron when Professor Snape appeared next to Hermione, startling Ron. They both looked up at his towering figure.

Snape had an odd scent about him the Hermione couldn't quite place and his face was still hidden behind locks of greasy hair; Hermione couldn't help but feel that he was hiding something deep inside and she wanted to help him uncover it. 

'This is weird', she thought, 'I never thought about him in that way before…' 

"Miss Granger, I need to speak with you. Can you come to my office this evening around 5:00 pm?" he glared at her with his beady eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, sir. Do I need to bring anything?"

"It's all right here." And her handed her an envelope, turned and strode away, his robe swatting Ron in the face. Ron could not believe what he was seeing or hearing for that matter.

"What in bloody hell is going on around here! Is everyone going bloody mad? I'm going to find Harry, knock some sense into him first!" Ron tore out of the Great Hall, leaving Hermione goggling over the envelope in her hand.

Ron found Harry in the lavatory where the Chamber of Secrets used to be. Harry seemed to be in his own world hunched over the sink.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder but Harry nudged it off, "just go away. I want to be left alone."

"But Harry…"

"Don't you understand! The teachers are starting to hate me; I'm not safe here anymore. I'm just going to lea--"

At that moment Hermione slammed into the lavatory yelling, "Harry! Ron! The teachers are under a spell! We have to go to Dumbledore and tell him."

"Wha? What are you talking about? Are you going mad too? The teachers can't be put under a spell and you know that." Ron explained frustrated, his face getting flushed from all the absurdity going on.

"I thought that was the case, but there must be a loop hole somewhere. C'mon let's go find Dumbledore before something bad happens." Harry rubs his eyes like he just woke up and said, "How do we know Dumbledore isn't under that spell? I mean that meeting that Snape fetched McGonagall for was supposed to be in Dumbledore's office. And if what you say is true then we need to go to someone else, outside the school."

"So I guess you shouldn't go visit Snape this afternoon, huh, Hermione?" blurted Ron, "what was in the envelope, anyways?"

"Nothing, just proof of the spell and proof that Snape is not under the spell. He's going to fix it."

"SNAPE?" rang Ron and Harry in unison and they started yelling and arguing about how he hasn't been the most helpful of people in the past.

All Hermione had to say was how much he's changed and she turned around and finally left them in her dust. 


	4. Chapter 4

The following chapter has the beginnings of a Snape/Hermione relationship. I'm not going to tell you if it blossoms, but I'm just warning you.

--Rune 

Hermione made her way down to Professor Snape's office at ten minutes to five and for some reason she was extremely excited. But she didn't know what she was more excited about, the fact that she will be helping cure the Hogwart's staff of this mysterious spell or the fact that she'll be _near_ him.

She approached his door and quickly tapped three times, just as she was instructed. Snape promptly opened the door and Hermione's heart flip-flopped. He was dressed in burgundy robes, quite out of the norm and his hair was jostled and still greasy and still in his face; Hermione really wanted to fix that.

"Good evening Miss Granger, I hope I am not keeping you from your studies but I really need your assistance in this process because, unfortunately, you are my best potions student." sniveled the former Death Eater. That comment didn't exactly compliment Hermione but she let it slide, after all she is a student.

"Well, I appreciate the opportunity and the, er, compliment, I think. Whatever is going on, I hope we can find out who is doing it and fix it before it becomes a bigger problem. Do you think classes should resume tomorrow?" Hermione followed up, unpacking the items she brought: three hairs, a piece of cloth and a spectacle-shaped piece of glass. "It was really hard getting this stuff without the respective teacher noticing, especially Professor Dumbledore, that's why I could only get a piece of his robe." 

She looked up at Severus who had a disgusted look on his face. She realized that he felt she didn't fear him, on the contrary, she might actually…At that, Snape shrugged out of his trance and said, "Classes will go on as normal. We cannot let the rest of the staff aware of what we're up too. Bring the items over to this table so we can put them in the cauldron. By the way, your dreadful friends don't know you are here, do they?" He caught her off guard.

"They are not dreadful! And yes they do know I'm with you, they just don't know what we are doing." Hermione snapped back to the Potion Master's surprise and she almost felt she made a mistake by the look he gave her, but she was ready to stand her ground.

In an almost eerie calmness Snape told her never to disrespect him like that again or he would be forced to administer severe punishment. Hermione found that a little thrilling.

Hermione dragged her toe across the ground very child-like and apologized. Snape straightened his robes and walked over to the cauldron. Hermione was falling more in love with him every minute.


End file.
